Through culture, we create a sense of belonging. Belonging to our nation, our land. It is obtained by singing songs together, reading newspapers and books in your own language. A sense of belonging unites people, gives them strength. Therefore, culture is an integral prerequisite for overcoming the crisis.

Atskatoties uz aizvadītajiem Covid-19 pandēmijas gadiem, kad kultūras dzīve bija ļoti ierobežota un klātienes pasākumi nenotika, tad šobrīd varam teikt, ka kultūras pasākumu apmeklēšana ir kā mazie svētki. Arī šobrīd, kad vēl notiek kara darbība Ukrainā, būt kopā ar cilvēkiem un apmeklē pasākumus ir iespēja apzināties cik daudz mums ir dots un jāpriecājas par katru iespēju, kad varam būs sabiedrībā, drošībā un baudīt kultūra. Spilgti atmiņā ir palicis pavasara koncerti Ukrainas atbalstam, kad tiek vākti ziedojumi un dziedātas  patriotiskās dziesmas.

Paldies visiem komentētājiem! Kā solīts, esam izlozējuši divus ierakstu autorus no Latvijas, kas saņems mūsu suvenīrus! Apsveicam!

1. Anna Vintere
2. Ilze Ivanova

Ar laimētājiem sazināsimies personīgi.

Learning, enriching one's knowledge and experiences through the various languages and forms of culture - literature, poetry, art, research, science - is a fundamental need of the human being.
Our task is also to know how to activate the right levers for functional curiosity for exploration.
Thanks for this valuable video contribution.

I would like to invite all to watch International Conference on the Protection and Rescue of Cultural Heritage organized by National Library of Latvia:

https://www.facebook.com/lnb.lv/videos/728728178270313

How prepared are Latvian cultural heritage institutions for emergencies and crises to protect and save the common cultural heritage? 

What action and cooperation is needed to address the threat to cultural heritage or to mitigate the consequences of an imminent crisis? 

What is the international position, world and home experience? 

The conference is organized with a view to sharing experience on the handling of these issues in Latvian institutions, building awareness of cooperation and hearing more experience from those already actively working with the protection of cultural heritage and rescue in crisis situations.

Thank you to our two wonderful speakers as well as to everybody who has commented and asked questions, provided information and added their personal experiences.

Please feel free to further comment below and stay in touch.

As has been said during the discussion: the time to act is now!

Kultūra ir tautas izdzīvošanas spēka fenomens cauri gadsimtiem. Un kultūrai ir liela nozīme jebkuros laikos, jo tieši caur kultūru tauta smeļas spēku izdzīvot par spīti tam,kas notiek tās fiziskajā vidē. Krīze kultūrā iezīmējās jau ar COV-19 laikmeta iestāšanos pasaulē, jo cilvēki saskārās ar ierobežojumiem un prasībām samazināt saskarsmi līdz minimumam. Bet tas neapturēja kultūras izpausmes, cilvēku radošās izpausmes pārcēlās uz digitālo vidi un turpināja stiprināt nogurušos līdzcilvēkus ar saturu un piedāvājumiem,kas novirzīja domas no neziņas un bailēm,kas pārņēma cilvēkus saskaroties ar nezināmo slimību. Bet šajā gadījumā "ienaidnieks" bija kas nezināms, neizprotams un neprognozējams savā attīstībā, turklāt nevienam pasaulē nebija skaidras receptes kā šo slimību apturēt. Bet cilvēki saņēmās, ticēja ka viss reiz atrisināsies, un turpināja viens otru atbalstīt gan emocionāli, gan stiprinot ticību,ka kopā tiks atrisināta šī problēma. Tad pasaulei sekoja nākošais trieciens- karš Ukrainā. Šajā gadījumā ierosinātājs un šī posta nesējs visiem ir skaidri saprotams un definējams. Un atkal kultūra ir tas instruments,kurš tika izmantots pirmais, lai pievērstu uzmanību un aktīvi rīkotos atbalsta piesaistei ukraiņu tautai. Kultūra ir valoda, kurā saprotas visi bez tulkiem. Tā ir valoda ar kuru var uzrunāt ikvienu, un caur kuru mēs atpazīstam lietas par kurām tiek runāts. Tas ir kultūras fenomens. Lai arī cik pretrunīgi Latvijas sabiedrībā tiek vērtēta Latvijas kultūras izpausmes prezentētā dalība 59. Starptautiskajā mākslas biennāle Venēcijā, arī tā runā par aktuālo pasaulē un pievērš, caur kultūras priekšmetiem , pasaules uzmanību norisēm sabiedrībā.  Latvijas ekspozīcija ir viena no apmeklētākajām šajā pasākumā. Tātad secinājums- kultūra runā starptautiskā valodā un caur kultūru mēs atpazīstam kopīgo starp dažadām nacionālajām un etniskajām piederībām. Krīzes ir laika posmi, kad mēs meklējam dažādus jaunus ceļus kā atklāt sabiedrībai savas rūpes un jautājumus,kas mūs satrauc. Un kultūra ir valoda kādā runāt, stāstīt par sevi un integrēties. Kultūra palīdz tautām saglabāt savu unikalitāti un izdzīvot pat visneiespējamākajos scenārijos lai nodotu nākotnē liecības par pagātni.  Lai visiem izdodas saglabāt labāko no tā ko tauta var radīt un lai šis spēks palīdz ticēt,ka visam sliktajam ir risinājums, bet izejot caur šīm mācībām spēsim būt stiprāki nākotnē.

I wanted to share verbatim an email that was sent to me by a British friend who works in tech services. I think it demonstrates perfectly how creative entrepreneurs are coming up with ideas how to help:

"I interviewed a local designer in Lviv who is supporting the resistance via her business. The women are amazing and so creative... The national dress means much more to Ukranians. Wearing it is a form of resistance to Putin. If we too celebrate their culture, we show solidarity with them...

Specialists who work with refugees say it is important to encourage refugees to enjoy experiences in their host countries.  Using crafts to help refugees has been done before.

Love Welcomes  https://www.lovewelcomes.org .

Mending for Good - repurposes clothes, sometimes using embroidery (Bangladeshi style).

Made51 -  UN initiative. This includes pop up markets in the UK.  https://www.made51.org/

Town twinning, programmes in which many of our local communities  share cultural exchange exist, but that could go further with some form of craft exchange and participation in education and markets. Welcome Dinner Hamburg and others, allow for exchange and socializing through taking in turns to cook dinners, cultural exchange in crafts is a variation of this.

Activities could start small scale and informally. (It would require some funding (crowd funding, microcredit) for materials, such as thread and fabric).

Participation at popular small markets is not hugely expensive...

Local councils may be able to offer a pop up location if there was serious interest. Presence at a local market could draw people into our town centers.

If there is potential for financial earnings, and it was viable, the activities could be upscaled to provide women with a source of income in addition to social connections to the community.

Cutlure reaches into everyday life. We remember crafting with our female relatives as children, especially grandmas.  Refugees fleeing Ukraine and other areas, are propelled into new and uncertain existences in far flung countries.  Local Ukranians who have brought their mothers here discuss how traumatized they are.  They need something positive to hold on to. Art and crafts for mental health may help them.

The refugees could exchange sessions about their own crafts with members of the communtiy – eg elderly people who craft or would like to learn to, during informal meetings and sewing bees. All parties can enjoy the social interaction.  The refugees can make friends and practise their English; the isolated elderly people  gain social contact and stimulation out of loneliness.

A studio in London has successfully run courses for elderly people in Somali art and crafts such as textile printing (Hafza Yusuf, from Hafza Studio,) https://inews.co.uk/news/education/somali-art-workshop-lost-skills-heritage-interview-355013

If there was a market for it it could turn into a  more serious business.  Ukrainian fashion has made a big impact: eg brands like Etnodium and some customers pay high prices for items in high street stores which are inspired by or have been made in the Ukraine (e.g. Jigsaw). Could you imagine a small retail outlet where customers can have something special made to measure? An Etsy shop could allow women to work from home and craft without the outlay for a premesis or stall."

Some thoughts that came up during this morning's live discussion were:

We need culture to survive and to record what is happening, to support resilience and educate people, therefore it is a necessity that we must protect and uphold.

Here is a website for artists from all around the world who are contributing images and graphics to support Ukraine https://creativesforukraine.com/

Latvia has experienced many crises, from the time of slavery till the Soviet Union. And always our weapon has been a song, which is our soft power. 

I'd like to mention this song created by half-Ukrainian singer here in Latvia, where participated ~40 Latvian singers (in Ukrainian, English and Russian). All incomes from it will be transfered for help:

LATVIA FOR UKRAINE - Resistance

I am proud that we don't only send weapons but also support Ukrainian culture, for example,  by campaign "Let's Save Ukrainian Cultural Heritage". In this campaign our National Library of Latvia prepared a truck full with specific material donated by Latvians: https://www.facebook.com/lnb.lv/posts/10159959109839031

Referring to one of the last points discussed during our live discussion this morning - how can we support the citizens of Ukraine - please share any initiatives and supporting programmes for Ukraine you have learnt about.

Here you can find a rough overview of how the EU has supported Ukraine so far.

Here you can find a blog post on Solidarity with Ukraine in times of crisis.

Now we would like to hear from you about initiatives and supporting programmes for Ukraine you would like to share.

Let's get active now!

Though wars bring people unprecedented cruelty, cynism and suffering, history shows these times also bring us unprecedented urge to ask ourselves for the sense of very existence, for the meaning of conflicts inside us, for justification of humanity. Not only that: the same way you can admire a flower in the vast desert, you can also admire a brave act of humanity amidst the sea of cruelty. I believe in all crises in the history of mankind, some of the finest works of culture have been created.

Crises, despite all the suffering, is good for us as it mobilizes us and we feel a task to raise questions. If I may be a bit provocative, too much stability, „peace“ and prosperity make us lazy and ignorant. We need crises in order to change our minds, to fight for values and to invent new thoughts and forms, in culture and elsewhere.

Finally, I would like to add that in this war situation, I expect a new reborn of underground, dissident culture in Russia. I expect new Solzhenitsyn, new Bulgakovs, new Zamyatins. Under socialism, true culture was denied but the more it was denied, the more we (the young ones) thrived to read books from Kundera, Havel or Solzhenitsyn. I believe this new totalitarian system may be destroyed only from within. And culture – the unofficial one – must lead the way….

We – and Russians with us – have to read again novel „We“ from Zamyatin which actually became an inspiration for George Orwell´s 1984. Just to be able to prevent the things described in both books...

If you find our discussion interesting, you might also want to listen to our latest podcast with Oleg Smirnov from Kyiv:

https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/epale-podcast-war-ukraine-and-adult-…

I heard about a nice initiative here in Flanders 'Belgium'. The organisation OPENDOEK (open curtain) calls on theater enthusiasts and associations to set up a local buddy system in collaboration with the municipality for Ukranian (and other) refugees .

Following the war in Ukraine, the Wevelgems Harmonieorkest (an orchestra) approached the municipality with the proposal to receive refugee musicians in local music associations. They try to give people on the run a place in the association through a buddy system.

Dear all,
Please find below the UA culture support campaigns:

Launched by Ukrainian Cultural Foundation

Launched by European Cultural Foundation

As we have discussed this morning, culture is a means to foster resilience and remind people of their roots and what they are fighting for.

What is one of the most fascinating things you have learnt about Ukraine and want people to know?

Some initiatives cited by Daryna Zhyvohliadova during the livestream.

To read more about culture crimes:

https://culturecrimes.mkip.gov.ua/ 
https://uaculture.org/culture-loss/

Not to advise, but to act, as Daryna told. To help Ukrainian cultural workers and artists a fundraising campaign is active: https://uaculture.org/culture-loss/

To access the Handbook on “Cultural Relations in the New Normal" please visit the link:

https://www.cultureinexternalrelations.eu/downloader/download-file?file=2021/07/Cultural-Relations-in-the-New-Normal_handbook.pdf

Claudia (EPALE Moderator)

One of the challenges now is how to avoid a simplistic view of the role of culture and art in times of crisis. Now you can hear that something needs to be destroyed, canceled, forgotten, which is not connected with our identity and culture. This is a political point of view. I would like to warn against such a simplified view of culture.

A platform is extremely important, I agree.

Good morning EPALE community!

At 10 a.m. CEST we will host a live-streamed panel to kickstart the online discussion on Culture in a situation of crisis.

Is culture a luxury during emergencies? What is the role of culture and how is it perceived?

What are the challenges and what is the potential?

The comments are already open to your contributions.

Claudia (EPALE Moderator)